The World Food Prize presented the inaugural “Inspiring the Next Generation” award to Iowa State University Associate Dean David Acker. Presented during the Laureate Award Ceremony on Thursday night at the Iowa Capitol, the award recognizes Acker for his encouragement of students to follow in the footsteps of Norman Borlaug. A professor of agricultural education at ISU, Acker has been involved with World Food Prize youth programs since nearly their inception. For the past 20 years he has provided educational leadership through the Iowa Youth Institute, the Global Youth Institute and the Borlaug-Ruan International Internship. The award will be presented annually to a teacher involved in the World Food Prize youth programs who has significantly contributed to the success of the program and has provided outstanding inspiration to the students involved.